Congressional Democrats, thin skinned, hypocritical

Congressman Joe Wilson for US Senate

By Yomin Postelnik
Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The American people often engage in robust debate. So do the citizens and (even the) parliamentarians of Britain and other Western countries. It’s considered a healthy aspect of most democracies, albeit an annoying one.

So when Democrats voted their disapproval of Representative Joe Wilson, they did a disservice to the American people. They also did a disservice to democracy, which was once a core principle of their party, but sadly is no more.

I’m all for civility. I’m even more for healthy, pointed, passionate dissent. Such dissent harms no one and has the potential to diffuse situations, as it allows each side to present their respective points of view with focused devotion.

Civility and indignation are two equally important aspects to the political health of a democratic republic. Civility allows us to discuss issues and righteous indignation allows us to express our passion in words. Rigorous dissent is healthy and needed. It’s what separates first class societies that engage in rigorous debate from countries that settle their disputes by way of mob violence.

Over the past eight years, I’ve heard Democrat activists and many of their Washington leaders yell an unending and ferocious tirade of curses and accusations at Republicans, at all Republicans. And as tasteless, wrongheaded and false as those tirades were, I would never dream of trying to stifle honest opposition. No Republican would.

What’s even more outrageous is that Congressman Wilson’s comment that President Barack Obama is a liar (which, based on both the Senate version at the time, as well as a proper reading of the House version, was a fair statement) pails in comparison to statements by Senator Dick Durbin, the number two ranking Democrat who compared our American troops to Nazis on the Senate floor. And “pails in comparisonâ€